What’s a girl to do when she’s got under 800 square feet of space, but still wants to decorate with style? Whether your house is big or small, if you want to make the most of your living space and decorate like a pro, check out Small and Chic C’ville, a fresh new blog scaling big design ideas down to realistic proportions. I interviewed blogger Jeannine Lalonde about her stylin’ blog:
What was the inspiration for Small and Chic C’ville?
I’ve been reading design blogs for about two years, but because I write a blog related to my work, I didn’t want to write a design blog myself. Instead, I moderated a message board about interior design, decorating, and DIY. When the site shut down, I wanted a repository for all the projects I had shared on that site (some not yet complete). I had thought about starting a design blog before, but convinced myself that I was too busy). When a very popular blogger asked why I wasn’t blogging after I made a guest post on her blog (she edited it down, so that’s not 100% my writing), I rethought my decision not to blog.
What makes your blog different from other design blogs?
Something I noticed about many of the design blogs out there was that most seemed to live in large homes and many didn’t give a distinct impression about an exact location. There are plenty that identify themselves as southern, but many talk about shopping at big box and mall stores, so they could be almost anywhere. I choose to live in a small home (785 square feet) and thought there might be others like me who are trying to incorporate design ideas in a small space. I also love Charlottesville and while I definitely shop at big box/mall stores, I wholeheartedly agree with “buy local” philosophy and enjoy walking to a store downtown much more than hitting the highways to find something.
What kind of feedback are you getting from your readers?
The response from my friends has been interesting. I don’t think they knew that I was interested in design. The other design bloggers have been wonderful. That community is extremely supportive and collaborative.
What’s coming up on the blog? Any new projects about to get under way?
Well, I’m far from done with my place, so there’s plenty of material for future blog posts. The rest of my living room is going to come together in the coming weeks and then I move into my travel season at work, so there might be a few more peeks at hotels. I have an aunt up in NYC in the middle of a complete redesign and she’s been taking pictures of the progress, so I’ll share that. She has a gorgeous co-op on the East River, so those posts will definitely contain a lot of eye candy. Of course, the store visits will continue. I have a good number on my “to do” list and I might revisit some around the holidays to give people some ideas for presents.
